Let It Go

Ever since the movie Frozen hit the theaters a couple of years ago, my granddaughter has been singing the title song from the movie, “Let It Go,” endlessly.

The only problem is it never comes out sounding like it does in the movie. She gets close, but somehow, that first “l” has become a “y,” especially when she decides to really belt it out and that’s pretty much every time she sings it.

If you have a daughter or granddaughter under five, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

Aside from the fact her rendition of that song is too cute to describe here, I never thought much about the song until yesterday morning when one of the newer members of a network marketing group I belong to said something I haven’t been able to shake.

If you’ve never been to one of these meetings, they almost always follow a universal blueprint: The meeting is called to order, the introduction of the members begins with an elevator pitch, the length of which can vary from group to group. Guests introduce themselves, one of the members “presents” an educational segment on their industry or career, the meeting moves to referrals and testimonials, after which everyone disbands and goes on about their merry way.

Your commitment is to attend every meeting, which, as you might imagine, is really quite impossible. However, since the commitment is to attend every meeting, despite the fact it is impossible, the responsibility that accompanies that commitment is to have a substitute represent you and your company when you’re not there.

The advantage for you is that your commitment remains unbroken and you and your company are represented. The advantage for your substitute is the opportunity to place themselves in front of a group of highly motivated business owners all focused on one thing and one thing only: successfully expanding their respective client base.

It may sound hokey, but it works, especially if you find the “right” group.

Truth be told, it’s been more than six months since I attended a meeting and I’ve really missed it. Consequently, when the email requesting that I substitute appeared in my inbox, I jumped all over it.

During the early part of the meeting, one of the new members, a young woman providing bookkeeping and administrative services to small business owners, ended her elevator pitch with the following tagline (a few words used to close an elevator pitch): “Let it go if you want to grow!”

The meaning was clear: While growing your business, you will find there are certain things you will inevitably need to delegate or you will find you and your business stuck.

No matter how good you are, no matter how talented, no matter how many hours you are willing to dedicate, no matter what you are willing to sacrifice, there are only so many hours that can be dedicated to all the tasks necessary to keep that boat afloat before something falls through the cracks.

Now, that doesn’t mean abandoning whatever it is that needs to be done. That would be the absolution of responsibility.

What it does mean is learning how to delegate. What it means is recognizing that whatever it is that needs to be done still must be done, just not necessarily by you!

It implies a need to educate whoever it is you’ve chosen to share the burden of organization and administration with to knows precisely what it is you want accomplished, why it is critical it is accomplished, and, the reason(s) completing those tasks in a certain way, in a certain order, by a known and accepted deadline, is important.

It can also imply the realization that there are more paths to the top of the mountain than the one you’ve chosen. And, that depending upon your particular style of leadership or your tolerance for creativity, there may be other ways of accomplishing whatever it is that needs to get done.

It was right there: the essence of all growth in a tagline! Quit wasting time doing stuff someone else might just as easily do better, faster or more efficiently. Quit dragging along a laundry list of to-dos you know need to get done when you know it isn’t likely they’ll ever get done. That is, unless you’ve found someone else do them!

Most of all, it was: Why is this even on my list? Why is it here? Does it really need to get done at all. If the answer is “yes,” does it need to get done by me?

So, here’s a tagline from Frozen we can all share: “Let it go… Let it go… Let it go if you want to grow!”

Mitch Schneider is a fourth-generation auto repair professional and the owner of Schneider’s Auto Repair in Simi Valley, Calif. He is an industry educator, author, seminar facilitator, and blogger at mitchschneidersworld.com. Contact him at mitchs@schneidersauto.net.